This invention relates to the transfer of coating films, and more particularly to improvements in manually operated transfer tools for applying correction films, adhesive films, decorative coating films and the like, wherein the film is supplied on a tape base material and transferred from the tape base material onto a sheet or other coating-receiving surface.
In a typical film transfer tool, a tape consisting of a tape base material and a transferable film is provided on a rotatable core as a tape supply reel within a casing. The base material of the tape (also sometimes referred to as a xe2x80x9cbackingxe2x80x9d) extends around a laterally extending, tape-pressing edge of a transfer head and thence to a take-up reel also located within the casing. In operation of the device, the tape is unwound from the supply reel and wound onto the take-up reel as the tape-pressing edge is drawn across a coating-receiving surface. The film is separated from the tape base material at the location of the tape-pressing edge, and transferred onto the coating-receiving surface as a result of pressure applied by the tape-pressing edge. The transfer head is pivoted to the casing so that the tape pressing edge is maintained in parallel relationship to the surface to which the film is to be transferred, even though the casing may be tilted.
The pivoting action of the transfer head has an important advantage in that it produces more uniform application of the film to the receiving surface even when the casing is tilted. However, the pivoting action of the transfer head, also has a disadvantage. If the casing is tilted about the pivot axis of the transfer head, the length of tape extending from the supply reel to the tape pressing edge, and the length of tape base extending from tape pressing edge to the take-up reel can twist. Excessive twisting of the tape or tape base can result in disengagement of the tape from the tape pressing edge, and can even result in breakage of the tape. Twisting of the tape can also impair the uniformity of the film applied to the coating-receiving surface.
An important object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a coating film transfer tool which exhibits the advantages of the conventional tools having a pivoted transfer head, but which eliminates the problems of disengagement and breakage associated with the pivoted transfer head.
The coating film transfer tool in accordance with the invention comprises a tape supply reel in the form of a core on which is wound a transfer tape comprising a tape base material with a transferrable coating film on one side of the base material, a transfer head having a pressing transfer part for transferring the coating film onto a film-receiving surface, and a take-up reel comprising a core onto which the tape base material is wound after transfer. The improvement resides in the fact that the supply reel and take-up reel are disposed rotatably in a tape cassette to which the transfer head is fixed, a casing is included to receive the tape cassette, the casing has two bearing members disposed on a common axis, the tape cassette has a transfer shaft and a support shaft also disposed on the common axis, and the transfer shaft and the support shaft are supported rotatably in the respective bearing members.
According to the invention, the tape cassette itself, which has within it the tape supply and take-up reels, the transfer tape, and the transfer head, are all integrally rotatable relative to the casing. Consequently, in the operation of the device, the transfer tape is not twisted, and disengagement of the tape from the transfer head, and tape breakage due to twisting, are avoided. Moreover, the avoidance of twisting of the tape ensures smooth and uniform application of the transferrable film to the coating-receiving surface.
In a preferred embodiment of the coating film transfer tool according the invention, the pressing transfer part is displaced from the common axis, so that the pressing transfer part can be positioned between the common axis and the receiving surface. The displacement of the pressing transfer part from the axis of rotation of the tape cassette improves the visibility of the location of the tip of the tape transfer head and of the uncoated surface immediately ahead of the tip. Moreover, in the preferred embodiment, each of the bearing members preferably comprises projections which extend toward the common axis, the projections of each bearing member being in point contact with the shaft supported therein.
Other objects, details and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the drawings.